FALLING BEHIND schedule, the Loyola Schools Constitutional Convention (ConCon) devoted the third day of its series of assembly readings on Articles Six to Twelve on January 25 at the Ching Tan Lecture Hall of the John Gokongwei School of Management.
As originally stated in the timetable posted on the social media platforms of ConCon, Day Three was supposedly allotted for examining proposed amendments on Articles 13 and 14 of the 2005 Constitution of the Undergraduate Students of the Loyola Schools.
The said articles contain provisions concerning the Ateneo Student Judicial Court and the Ateneo Commission on Elections, respectively.
However, much of the session was devoted to an open reading and interpellation of the proposal of Analysis and Discourse Cluster Delegate Gabriel Marmeto on the composition of the Sanggunian.
The discussion placed emphasis on the powers and responsibilities of the president and the vice president, as well as those and the structure of the Central Board (CB).
Proposed amendments approved by the majority are still tentative and are to be reviewed in time the finalization of the revised constitution on February 26.
The delegate assembly readings will continue tomorrow at the same venue.
President to go external; VP to head internals
During the open reading, Marmeto proposed the consolidation of Articles Six to Twelve into one: “Compositions, Powers, and Responsibilities of the Units of the Sanggunian.”
In the suggested change to Article Six, the power to approve or veto CB resolutions and orders is added to the presidency.
Meanwhile, a new notable function of the vice president is to preside CB meetings, which was originally the responsibility of the president.
The vice president, however, has no right to vote during meetings, expect instances when ties among the central board members have to be broken.
Marmeto stressed the rationale behind the vice president’s new duty, explaining that the said position is meant to tackle internal affairs, thus, allowing the president to maintain relations with the administration and external bodies.
More proposals on CB seats
Ending up with three more suggested changes on Section Four of Marmeto’s proposition, the delegates further examined the structure of the Sanggunian CB.
According to Marmeto’s proposed amendment, the CB is made up of 16 CB members, 10 sectoral council members, and 24 party-affiliated and independent representatives.
The proposal for 16 CB members’ seats garnered 16 “yes” votes, while 15 delegates approved an unnumbered amount of seats for sectoral council members.
On the other hand, the provision regarding party-affiliated and independent representatives was denied, having garnered only six “yes” votes.
This led to an alternate proposal from guest and Diplomacy and International Relations junior Dasha Uy to open eight seats to the university, which was followed by another suggestion that these eight seats be a combination of university-wide and sectoral council members.
However, Muslim Sector Delegate Amir Wagas expressed disagreement with the second proposal, saying that “with a scenario like this, I doubt we [the Muslim sector] can truly have representation.”
Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement Proxy Delegate Christian Dy offered a compromise, where sectors can be represented by legislative liaisons, who shall be determined by petition, while still retaining the eight university-wide seats.
In Dy’s opinion, sectoral representation should not be subjected to elections because “to begin with, the marginalized sectors cannot mobilize for elections.”
“The tyranny of the majority is something we want to guard them against,” he said.
Dy also stressed that “we are here to safeguard not only the rights of the many but also the rights of the few.”
“We cannot speak about protecting the marginalized outside Ateneo when we cannot give as much of a voice to the marginalized sectors inside,” he noted.
Dy’s proposal gained approval with 13 “yes” votes.
